Phytochemical Profiling and Anticancer Effect of Fagonia arabica on MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells

Authors

  • Ambreen Sher Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
  • Sobia Tabassum Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
  • Fikri Nashrullah Master of Fisheries Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
  • Aysha Sarfraz Rizvi School of Science, Minzu University of China, Beijing China.
  • Farhana Amin National Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology (NIGAB), National Agriculture Research Council, Islamabad, Park Road, Islamabad 45500, Pakistan
  • Sania Begum Department of Zoology, Wildlife and Fisheries, Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi,
  • Farkhanda Jabeen Department of Zoology, Wildlife and Fisheries, Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi,

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53992/njns.v10i1.247

Keywords:

Fagonia arabica, Wnt signaling, Phytochemical, Breast cancer cell lines

Abstract

This research analyzes the phytochemicals in Fagonia arabica leaves, revealing a strong presence of flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins, anthraquinones, cardiac glycosides, and tannins. The methanolic fraction, rich in gallic acid and rutin equivalencies, exhibited exceptional antioxidant activity, validated through 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and phosphomolybdate assays. Employing FTIR and GCMS spectra, we objectively assessed the diverse chemical constituents, emphasizing the credibility of this method in identifying mix-substance systems in traditional and herbal medicine. To further understand the therapeutic potential, MCF-7 cells were treated and cytotoxicity assays (MTT and acid phosphatase assay) were conducted to get IC50 values that further confirmed the anticancer properties of Fagonia arabica. Real-time PCR analysis targeted Caspases and Wnt/ β-catenin genes, revealing statistically significant (***p<0.001) results with upregulated caspases and downregulated Wnt signaling genes. The findings highlight Fagonia arabica extract as a highly effective therapeutic strategy against breast cancer cells, strategically modulating Wnt/ β-catenin genes without causing significant damage to normal cells. This study shows potential in identifying novel bioactive chemicals in these medicinal plants, which will help us better grasp their therapeutic potential.

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Published

2025-04-30

How to Cite

Sher, A., Tabassum, S., Nashrullah, F., Sarfraz Rizvi, A., Amin, F., Begum, S., & Jabeen, F. (2025). Phytochemical Profiling and Anticancer Effect of Fagonia arabica on MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells. NUST Journal of Natural Sciences, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.53992/njns.v10i1.247